Apparatus for cleaning air



Juy 3, 1923.

G. H. NOBBS APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AIR Filed dan. 18. 1921 l QA@ m Fp/1@ Illllllllllllll ZLU/ "lla MQW/IKM c@ We? Wcyi i Patented dnlyid, n

treuren sTaTes andere N,

earner oir-nuca,-

GEEGE E. NOBBS, 0F WATEBTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR CLMING MR. J

application met summary iaieai.- serai ne.' esatta.

To all whom t mag/democra:

f l Be it known that Jl, Gronden H. Nolens,

-- the air carries dust, as for example when used in tractors'and automobiles on dusty roads orields, in which case gritty particles carried in with the air grind away the cyl inder and piston, obstruct the valves and by working into'the oil wear out the principal bearings. .Eiorts to clear thisJair have always heretofore, so far as I am aware, been in the direction of straining operations, or else of passing the air through a liquid. Bnl: Athe former `retard the inflow of air to the engine, preventing it from getting its needed charge, and become additionally obstructive by becoming clogged in proportion.

as they are eective in stopping dirt; and the latter are.v both impractical under ordinary working conditions and are ineective because of dust being carried alon in the midst whenever any considerable ody of air goes through the liquid. 'lhe present invent-ion, seeksj to avoid these evils, and

provides so that neither air nor dust. have to pass through any obstructing medium (either in the nature of a screen or a liquid) in order to become separated from each other. The separation is edaected by 'causing the air to pass vthrough/a series of sharp vce deections 0f direction, at each of which yall solid particles carried by it tend to continue in their original direction; and *f more or less of them strike the dedectin Wall, said Wall being preferably sott an hairy, as when 'covered with telt, and be,n ing oily, the particles which strike it adhere to it. flhus the `air is gradually cleared. 'lle dustwhich has struck the wall becoln covered with a hlm ot' oil which spreads over it ihrem the adjacent surface, and`n1ahes that dust help in catching other dust that strikes on top of it. Havinglost momen. tum, and belng constantly drawn by gravity,

Such engines all particles which do not here` securel y tend to 'slip down to the tootl of the wa ri`he supply of oil on the wall, to catch and to cover the arriving particles, is main- @0 tained by capillary attraction trom a body of liquidA at the foot of the wall. 'lhe dust entrapping liquid is not necessarily oil, but when used in connection with an engine .is

preferably' something not much adected by @5 several hundredy degrees of temperature.. `Fortliis purpose oilof .a heavy kind, such as is'lcommonlyused in lubricating gas engine cylinders is both convenient and et# icective.l The entrapping walls are arranged l@ in a receptacle, which may conveniently be cylindrical, with entrance at perimeter, discharge at axis, and connecting passage extending around the axis in a wavy line,

the passage being so ample as not to be l5 affected by accumulation of dust on its walls or bottom. lt may moreover be arranged for easy cleaning, replacement of capilla vmaterial on the walls, or for Isupply 'of oil` by squirting from any ordinary oil can, or mi by polring from some other container. 'llhe apparatus and materials may be varied in fform and substance; and may be applied to various other uses than those particularly above mentioned lt is intended that the patent shall cover by suitable expression in the appended claims Whatever features ot patentable novelty exist in the invention` disclosed. L

ln the accompanying drawings: Figure l is an elevation in ,sectionl on 4line 1-1 of Figure 3, showing a preferred practising the proa v style oi apparatus for ess of the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation showing the in e515 take openings thereof;

Figure 3 1s a plan in section on d-tl,

of Figure 1;

Figure l is a inedal section showing an other form ot apparatus; I

Figure 5 shows the cover'ot Figure 4l; and

Figure 6 -is a plan in section showing another form of apparatus by which the invention may be racticed.

The apparatus ilustrated in Figures l, .l-tua and 3 ot the drawingscomprises a receptacle whose cylindrical shell l0 forms an annular chamber about an axial passage herein called the discharge pipe l2 extending out through the bottom 1t. Air enters the chamber 'All through Openings 16 in the shell, and tra erses a tortuous path therein to the pipo icc lll

desired, as the process and apparatus of the invention will separate dust particles of any size\without any 4screening'or filtration..

The pipe 12 extends down from thetop where it is closed bythd cover 18 of the receptacle. 'lhe cover is secured in position by any suitable meansisuch as bolts 20 and thumb nuts 22. rlhe'bottom 14 .may be sol` l5 dered tight'to the shell and to the pipe,

29 any side up.

to prevent lealiage of oil, in case -oil is -k'ept inthe bottomas illustrated. llt should be understood however that the liquid body can be omitted, and that the device can be used from straight line dow by a succession of dedecting walls or partitions- Such a parand from the' bottom. to the cover between,

tition 24 extending from the shell to the pipe the chamber entrance and the chamber` outlet forces the air to move around the axial pipe. ln so doing, the air encounters other dedecting walls .or partitions, .26, 28, ar-

3@ ranged in two serles, in one of which the partitions 26 extend radiallyV` inward from the shell toward the pipe, and inthe other of which theA partitions 28 extend radially outward from the perimeter of the axial pipe toward the shell. rlhe members of one series alterand near the perimeter ot the chamber,l

When the air has traversed this labyrinth and comes eventually to the other'side 'of the partition 24 it is dedected thereby vinto an opening 32 in the dischargepipe and thence passes out.

impinge against the surfaces ot the dedectmg elements.- This absorbs their momentum. These surfaces are adhesive, being 1llustrated as faced with telt 34 attached by any suitable means, stitches 35 ot wire being represented. The hairy telt deadens the tendency'of hard particles to rebound into the'moving current of air and there is a dust-entrapping liquid such as oil 36 which may besquirted over it as from an oil can, yand will be distributed automatlcally both The air passing through'thm chamber to the pipe is repeatedly turned Any solid particles moving with the air, are subject to thelaw 'of nature that 'they- Leconte -i l 1Q.

bythe-naturallproperty of oil to--ditfuseltself, andby capillary attractionthrough the telt, or oilwill thus be distributed from Aa quantity poured into -the bottom of the chamber, if the receptacle is txed upright as shown in Figure 1.

ln Figures 4 and 5, parti/tions are concentrically arrangedivvithin the receptacle, one series in this embodiment being attached to the bottom and theI other to the cover. rllhe inndrmost wall,

which is secured to the bottom, provides .the

exitfrom the cleaner, it being in the form of a tube 12 which may be slipped over'or screwed to the apparatus or pipe into which the air is to go next, 'Other cylindrical walls are attached tothe bottom 14 concentrically about the axis of the shell, and extending nearlyito the cover 18. `Only .one Such Wall is shown in the drawings. Similar partitions-40 are attached to the cover the series of deflecting.

18 so as to lie between the vwalls 38 extend.-

ing from the bottom. Thev bottoms of the depending walls 'are notched to provide openings 42 forthe passage of the air under each at the bottom. The intervening walls from the bottomdo not extend quite to the cover, thereby leaving an annular-passage for air over each at .the top. The severalcircular delecting Vwalls are hovered with felt 34 or the like for the'same purpose as heretofore described. ln this design a supply of oil 36 may be retained in each section of the bottom; and this can feed the capillary material on both partitions, because those deydeiiects it toward the bottom of the chamber; strikes the bottom, which dedects it to horizontal direction,A passing through notches; strikes the first partition, rising from the bottom, which delects it to vertical direction; and so it goes on with successive degrees deflections until it enters the tubular chamber or' the innermost wall 12 and is discharged. During the passage of the air'through the receptacle, the. particles of dirt will impinge against the entrapping surfaces of'. the dedectin walls and be separated from 'the air. 'll e arran ement of plates of Figure 3 might be attac ed tothe cover as are the platesA in Figure 4..

Figure 6 illustrates a spiral passage, whose walls are lcovered withdust catching material34 which maybe dampened with a fluid as already' described. 'The air passing' through isi-constantly changing its direction 'pending from the. cover reach the very botlll) i cumulations.

form the air that is to be oleane vthrough them when the device i-s in operation. Accumulations of dust may proceed to considerable size before cleaning is needed; and cleaning is easily effected upon rcmoving the cover. If. the liquid be oil, swishing a little gasoline will loosen the ac- I claim as my invention;`

1. An air cleaner, comprising an annular chamber with air opening near the axis and another near the perimeter, and containing a series of balile plates arranged alternately extending inward from the perimeter wall vand outward from the axial wall, whereby the current travels around the axis with repeated deflections of direction; and means to maintain a film of dust-catching liquid on the baiile plates.

2. An air cleaner, comprisinv means to into a current; and an impenetrable wall set across the direction of flow, adapted to deflect the current of. air; said wall having a fibrous surface holding b capillary attraction a dustcatching liqu ilm against which the current impinges.

3. An air cleaner` comprising means to form the air that is to be cleaned into a current; and an impenetrable wall set across the direction ot flow, adapted to deflect the current o1" air; said wall having a. felt surface holding nou-evaporative oil.

4. An air cleaner, comprising a box closed on all sides, except for inlet and outlet of air; adapted to hold a body of dust-catching liquid in its bottom; having baffle plates, rising therefrom, arranged to make a tortuous passage from inlet to outlet; and having on the baille surfaces material with capillary passages for drawing up and holding the liquid in position to receive impact of solid particles thrown against the bailles by the currents.

5. An air cleaner, comprising a passage having a series of dust adhesive baile plates; projecting from opposite walls of the passage, plates of one series being arranged in alternation with and overlapping plates of the other series so as to form a tortuous course for air. e

ranged to cooperate with the plates on the Y other in forming a continuous tortuous course for air through the box when the cover is on the box, and forming open compartments of double passage Width in each When the cover is removed; said baffle plates having dust-adhesive surfaces.

7. An air cleaner, comprising a series of dust-adhesive air-deflecting plates, said plates being arranged around an axis to make a free tortuous course for air and having in high degree the special quality of lbelng adhesive to dust and each being xed at \an abrupt angle with respect to the plates which immediately precede and follow it in the series. l

8. In combination, means for establishing a current of air-to be cleaned, a rigid wall having a felt surface holding oil non-evaporative at the normal temperature of use, said wall being set for said current to iinpinge thereon and being adapted to deflect said current. y

Signe-d at Boston, Massachusetts, this tenth dayl of January, 1921.

GEORGE H. NOBBS. 

